Passengers rush man on plane: 'It gives you heart'

By Carlos Sadovi and Natalie CostaMay 09, 2011

A Hinsdale man aboard an overnight Chicago-to-San Francisco flight described this morning how passengers helped subdue a man who rushed forward and pounded on the cockpit door about half an hour before landing.

"It makes you have heart" that people are willing to get involved in times of emergency, said Ryan Sciortino.

The pilot had just announced that the plane was about a half-hour from landing when he saw a man -- who appeared to be of Mideastern descent -- quickly make his way up the aisle toward the cockpit, Sciortino said.

"He was walking very fast, semi-running, then passengers came up five to 10 seconds after him," said Sciortino. "I thought it was a medical emergency or something like that."

Sciortino said he heard a flight attendant call out for help and heard banging up front but he couldn't see into the first-class cabin.

"It turns out he was banging on the cockpit door trying to get inside to see the captain," said Sciortino, 38.

He said that he didn't think the episode was terrorism-related and just assumed that it was an unruly passenger simply acting out.

Authorities said a male flight attendant tackled the suspect, a Vallejo, Calif., resident who carried a Yemen passport, and other crew members aided as the suspect banged on the cockpit door.

The Boeing 737 carrying 162 people landed safely at 9:10 p.m. and the man was taken into police custody.

Sciortino, a national sales manager, said that he was wearing headphones for most of the incident, but other passengers reported to him that the man was yelling "Allah akbar" (God is great) as he ran up the aisle.

The unruly passenger was identified as 28-year-old Rageit Almurisi. Though he carried a Yemen passport, it wasn't clear if his nationality was Yemeni, said San Franciso Police Sgt. Michael Rodriguez.

Almurisi was charged with interfering with a flight crew, a federal offense. No motive has been established and the officer said he had no information when asked if the disturbance was linked to terrorism.

"It was a mental breakdown of some sort," Sciortino said. "It was a little freaky... it could have been a suicide (mission) for himself. It's one of those bad circumstances when it's a week after Osama bin Laden's demise."

During the scuffle, Almurisi suffered some bruises and was checked at a hospital before being taken to San Mateo County Jail, Rodriguez said.